Vikings remain focused on stadium in Minnesota

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June 10, 2011 - 2:57 PM

Vikings vice president Lester Bagley said Friday that the team remains "100 percent committed to getting a stadium deal done in Minnesota."

This came after Anschutz Entertainment Group President Tim Leiweke told the Orange County Register on Thursday that the Vikings were one of five NFL franchises he has spoken to and that billionaire Philip Anschutz is prepared to acquire majority ownership in a team in order to bring it to Farmers Field, the downtown Los Angeles stadium proposed by AEG.

"I think it's pretty much where it has been," Bagley said of the Vikings' stadium situation. "While it's true we have been approached by [Los Angeles area] stadium groups AEG and Roski in the past, we think we're in a position to get our issue resolved during the special session in Minnesota."

Bagley said the Vikings have not spoken to Leiweke since a meeting in late May when the team discussed the subject of stadium operations and a potential sports entertainment experience near the Vikings proposed stadium in Arden Hills.

AEG officials run Target Center and have plenty of experience operating facilities. The Vikings are interested in the L.A. Live model, which is adjacent to the Staples Center (home of the Kings, Lakers and Clippers, among others) in Los Angeles.

Vikings officials have been working in recent months to get a 65,000 stadium approved and have said they will put $407 million toward the project. Ramsey County would contribute $350 million and Gov. Mark Dayton has said the state's contribution of $300 million is "absolutely the limit" for the $1 billion project.

However, approval for the project from the legislature during a special session is still needed.